It was Johnson's evening, but Martin's moment

By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
December 5, 2009
07:30 PM EST

type size: + -

LAS VEGAS -- A few years ago people were giving him rocking chairs, fitting gifts for a man who seemed to be easing into retirement. Friday night, Mark Martin was back on the stage at the Sprint Cup awards ceremony for the first time in three seasons, the 50-year-old fresh off a runner-up campaign that stands among the best and most satisfying in his long and illustrious career.

"You really know how to steal a guy's thunder, don't you?" he remarked to champion Jimmie Johnson, being honored with his fourth consecutive series title in NASCAR's first postseason banquet at Las Vegas. But it was Martin who stole the show Friday night, upstaging showgirls and impressionists and even the champion himself with a heartfelt speech that left some in the Wynn ballroom a little misty.

Caraviello in Vegas

Video Highlights

Fans' all-access pass behind the scenes

Monday

The celebration begins in the 2009 champ's hometown of El Cajon, Calif., as Jimmie Johnson and his wife, Chandra, hand out nearly $1 million in grants divided among schools in California, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

Complete story

Tuesday

Day 2 of Champion's Week consisted of an appearance at Auto Club Speedway where Johnson had breakfast with and conducted a Q&A with 700 of the track's invited guests. He also participated in several media functions.

Complete story

Wednesday

Johnson took part in the traditional landmark photo shoot, hitting a number of recognizable spots along the famed Las Vegas strip. His day didn't end there. After the photos were taken, he dashed to LVMS, where his fellow competitors got a little payback for four years of domination.

Complete story

Thursday

As Champion's Week rolls toward the official crowning of four-time champion Jimmie Johnson on Friday night, the celebration continues to focus on the sport's many fans with a parade, a burnout on the strip and an awards luncheon.

Complete story

Friday

The first Champion's Week in Las Vegas culminated with the annual Cup Series awards ceremony Friday evening at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Complete story

If his words were scripted, it didn't show. Martin's remarks seemed spontaneous and earnest, a welcome departure from several driver speeches that came across as a little too orchestrated. People in the audience ooohed and ahhhed as he mentioned the butterflies he still gets in his stomach when he looks at his wife Arlene. They wiped their eyes when he talked about how being associated with car owner Rick Hendrick made him want to be a better man. They applauded robustly as he recounted his first full-time season since 2006, a five-win campaign that felt like a gift.

"I've been so fortunate to be able to pick up a bunch of trophies. You bring them home, you set them down, and after a while you don't notice them anymore," Martin said. "But what does last is the quality time I got to spend with my family this year, and with my team and the fans. That stuff will last a lifetime for me. I want to thank you all for it. 2009 is a year I will always remember."

Not even Johnson, who picked up a $6.6 million check for his record-breaking fourth consecutive title, could match that. Nobody could, really, although the ballroom grew hear-a-pin-drop silent as Hendrick struggled with his emotions after being given the Bill France Award of Excellence by Betty Jane France, widow of former series chairman Bill France Jr. Those were easily the most poignant moments of Friday night's ceremony, which was in Las Vegas for the first time after 28 years in New York, most of those spent amid the aristocratic surroundings of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

The change was noticeable as soon as you walked into the room. While the Waldorf-Astoria's grand ballroom is a relatively intimate space overlooked by two decks of balconies, the Wynn offered a sprawling hall that allowed NASCAR to put on a production worthy of any Las Vegas casino. The setting, with a faux-neon backdrop that changed color and an in-the-round secondary stage apart from the main stage, was beguiling. The entertainment, from host Frank Caliendo to comedian John Pinette to musical acts David Gray, Escala and Brooks and Dunn, was as good as it's ever been. It all made you wonder why it took NASCAR so long to leave New York in the first place.

The space allowed 300 fans to watch from the rear of the ballroom, a first for a NASCAR awards ceremony, and many times they livened up the proceedings by whooping and hollering. Even Martin, not exactly the type of you'd expect to see slinging dice at the craps table at 3 a.m. -- although it wasn't uncommon to find other drivers doing exactly that -- loved it.

"I'd like to thank Sprint and NASCAR for bringing this banquet to Las Vegas," he said. "It's been a big time. I've really enjoyed it."

Overall it was one of the better NASCAR awards ceremonies in recent memory, an event that felt energized by the unknowns that accompanied the change in location. It wasn't perfect -- segments on NASCAR's Hall of Fame and the sport's green initiatives seemed forced and unnecessary, and gave the first half of the event a rambling quality. Taped bits by ventriloquist Terry Fator, a headliner at the Mirage, fell flat. (Note to NASCAR: No more puppets at the awards show.) In driver speeches, the repeated thanks offered to fans and the military felt like talking points ordered from on high.

But those lulls were few and far between. Ryan Newman thanked his wife Krissie for making those "courageous walks to the Talladega infield care center." Tony Stewart, who led the points for 13 consecutive weeks but faded to sixth in the Chase, needled the championship system. "Maybe next year they'll change the rules or the format a little bit, and we'll give the championship away at the halfway point or something," he said. Denny Hamlin was all over the place, thanking his sunglasses sponsor ("I could have used the sunglasses at Homestead when I got into Brad [Keselowski]") to Sprint ("for those two hot girls who stand behind us in Victory Lane and nod") to NASCAR ("What can I say? Early morning meetings, late-night trailer visits, it's a great place to race").

And then there was the host Caliendo, a headliner at the Monte Carlo and a frequent contributor to Fox NFL broadcasts, whose collection of celebrity impressions brought down the house. Appearing as television personality Dr. Phil in one taped bit, he razzed one driver after another. "What were you thinking with that whole back flip thing?" he said to Carl Edwards, who finished 11th and was not in attendance. "You know who does back flips? Little girls, trained monkeys, and mechanical dogs. I was going to tell you to knock it off, but then I remembered -- you haven't won in a while anyway."

It was good-natured fun of the kind drivers and team members enjoyed all week, from the roast at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that kicked off Champion's Week on Wednesday, to Thursday's Victory Lap parade down a Las Vegas Strip choked with onlookers, to the ceremony itself. Time will tell whether the geographic shift saved teams money, given that even the best hotels in Las Vegas were markedly less expensive that what was available in New York. But the fact that NASCAR felt wanted and appreciated -- not always the case in Manhattan -- seemed priceless.

"The city has been over the top in welcoming us and being excited to have us here," Johnson said. "New York is a great place. I have an apartment there, and like to spend a lot of time there. But in December, it's such a tourist destination, it's so packed for the holiday season, it's tough. It's tough to find friendly people, it's tough to find a friendly city environment to welcome us and to host us. Vegas has been great, and we get a year or so under our belt here and it's going to be bigger and better."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.